LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1624, 29 April 1919, Page 11 (Supplement)

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It was reported by the Finance Committee at the North Canterbury Hospital and Charitable Aid Board's meeting today that it was necessary for the proper housing of the nursing staff to build another wing and extend the dining-room, kitchen, serveries, etc., with the necessary equipment. These, together with the furnishing of the new residents' quarters, would cost about £B6OO. This amount was included in the estimates passed by the board. It was stated by the Christchurch City Electrical Engineer (Mr E. E. Stark), last evening, in some remarks on the progress of the corporation's electricity undertaking, that there is no longer a suction gas plant in operation in the city. Mr Stark added that in 1913 the electricity revenue was £IB,OOO, and in 1918 it was £54,000. If the charges made in 1913 had been in operation in 1918, the revenue for the latter year would have been £120,000. The matter of the present subsidy on hospital contributions was referred to by the Finance Committee at the North Canterbury Hospital Board's meeting to-day. The committee said it again desired to emphasise the fact that the district that accepted and carried out properly the duties devolving. upon it by the Act had to pay a very severe penalty. The subsidy was again 14/3 on each pound collected from the local authorities. This was stated to be quite insufficient. It was decided to write to the Minister of Public Health and members of Parliament, and to deputationise Parliament, protesting against the inadequate subsidy. Referring to the statement that numbers of returned soldiers in Christchurch are now reduced to begging for the price of a bed, the Minister of Internal Affairs (Hon. G. W. Russell) expressed deep regret that such, a position should have arisen. However, the Canterbury Patriotic Fund had £IOO,OOO in hand, and he felt sure that, if it were approached, provision could be made by which every man could obtain what was necessary for his board and lodging in cases of need. There might be some unworthy—there were in every class —but, personally,, he would rather see 20 unworthy cases assisted than that one deserving man should have to sleep in Hagley Park because he could not afford a bed. Good entries have been received for the Canterbury Horticultural Society's Chrysanthemum Show, to be held in the Art Gallery, on Thursday and Friday next. Chrysanthemum grower.? have been fortunate in their season this year, so some splendid blooms should be shown. Also, the fruit and decorative sections will be well filled. The show will be open to the public from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday. Lectures will be delivered each evening. On Thursday Mr B. Nairn will speak at 7.30 and 8.30 p.m. on "Autumn Tints," and on Friday Mr S. I. Fitch, will lecture on "Amateur Fruit-growing." On Friday school children will be admitted free from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and prizes are offered for essays to be written after that visit.

Among a series of questions asked of Mr George Hutchison at the conclusion of his address last evening was one as to whether, if returned to the council, he would favour a roads improvement scheme which, among other essentials, would bring about better travelling conditions on Lincoln Road. In replying, Mr Hutchison stated that there were one or two roads in the city —and main ones at that —that badly required attention, and Lincoln Road was certainly among the number. Iu his travels in different countries he had seen the experiment tried of forming concrete roadways, which 'had always proved more durable than the tarred macadam. If elected to the council Mr Hutchison stated that he certainly would push the claim for an improvement of the Lincoln Road surface.

Does soldiering breed Bolsheviks? According to ex-Sergeant H. Scrimshaw, A.1.F., "the intelligence . that created us allows but a very small minority the faculty of leadership. Fully 99 per cent born are happy to bo workmen or followers." Yet the author was on three separate occasions left for dead in France, and has been a member of nearly every kind of Labour union in Australia. Natural Jaw, he says, will bring the millennium, and not the lies with which "the selfseeking, ideal revolutionary Socialists, Bolsheviks, and sabotage knaves are trying to bamboozle us." Though it is not very clear what natural law is, we are all "greedy, covetous would-be thieves when opportunity occurs, especially if this attitude can be disguised as honest by pretence." And because this "natural-born avarice" can be made a national peril, "let another scrap of paper be drawn up with responsible signatures of all nations agreeing to some such scheme as I [Sergeant Scrimshaw] have outlined, and the world is . born again." We gather, too, that it is necessary in the meantime to avoid having too many children. Headers who would like the whole argument —and it is by no means so far from horse-sense throughout as the author's lack of humour would suggest —should euclose 1/- to the printers, Messrs Dealmand Spencer, Sydney, and ask for "Natural , Law v. Socialistic Nonsense."